Este é mais um artigo compreendido na secção de opinião do LowCost Portugal. Foi escrito pelo Roman do Air Observer e conta com uma breve participação minha. Parte de breves dados recolhidos numa mini-sondagem aqui realizada. É editado na língua em que foi escrito e publicado à mesma hora tanto no Air Observer como no LowCost Portugal.

Last summer, CAPA dedicated a post to the Portuguese LCC market. I was surprised to see how well LCCs are now established and how well they are performing in this market. I wanted to go further, and know more about Portuguese travel habits and low cost airlines. Thanks to my favourite Portuguese blogger, Sergio Bastos, who has a long-running website on local low cost airline news, I now have the data to better understand interest in low cost travel.

Portugal and Spain have both known a very steady and significant development of LCCs, but according to the CAPA, it seems that Portuguese destinations have proved more resistant during the crisis. Indeed, while Spain lost 5.1% of its passenger traffic in April of 2009 compared to the previous year, Airports of Portugal recorded an across-the-board increase of 7.6% in that same month.

Portugal is living what CAPA has called the “low cost carrier revolution”. It is true that low cost carriers have considerably increased their operation in both the international and domestic Portuguese market. In eight years, LCC capacity share rose 33%, from 2% to 35%. The traffic is mostly concentrated in three main touristic regions: Lisbon, Faro and Porto. These are the three busiest Portuguese airports. The main low cost carrier operating is easyJet with 14% capacity share, probably due its presence in Lisbon. For now, Ryanair is far behind, with only 7%. Ryanair has routes out of Faro and Porto. For now however, the domestic market is dominated by TAP with 55% of domestic capacity shares.

Before we unveil the results of the poll, Sergio adds its thoughts and insights on low cost travel and about what he observed since he runs his website:

The major value of Low Cost Portugal is its web users’ comments. On Low Cost Portugal, Portugueses reveal their affection, doubts and fear about low cost airlines. On the one hand, most of the comments are positive and urging for developments, but on the other hand, many people questions low cost airline safety issue, human resources and cabin crew sympathy. There are lacks of trust, mainly from people who feels the need to slip the airline travel in two separate worlds low cost versus legacy airline. But this is a fact, the airline industry is changing and regulars are now adopting low cost efficiency methods. “In the middle is the virtue”, as we say in Portuguese, and the days we are living are defining the model.

The Poll:

More than 200 hundred people responded to our questionnaire on Low Cost Portugal. The most interesting observation is that Ryanair, despite of what we have just learned about them, is the favourite low cost airline in Portugal, with more than 50%.

Most of the Portuguese fly with low costs because of the cheap prices (83%), while only 8% answered that the destination choice was the main factor. Not surprising, was the scores we recorded to questions on the “quality of service” (0%) and the “in flight experience” (0%).

More interestingly, when we asked if the extra fees are a problem, 67% responded “Yes”. So however cheap, low cost airlines’ extra fees or in any case, their way of charging their passengers, seems to be a problem. As many other European passengers, most Portuguese are not really concerned about low cost carrier safety issues: 81% think that low costs are as safe as any other airline.

To compare Portuguese perception of legacy and budget airlines, we asked what a standard airline should do to convince them to fly with it: 92% answered that legacy airlines should reduce their fares! Something most European legacy airlines have already started, such Air France or BA.

The numbers don’t lie, Portuguese have seized the opportunity of low cost travel. TAP, the Portuguese flag carrier, is still holding a high capacity share of the Portuguese markets, but its short and medium haul are more and more threatened by low cost airlines. In Madeira, for instance, TAP reduced from 8 to 7 its diary frequencies while easyJet plans to increase from 2 to 3 the next Summer. With 18 routes and more than 100.000 passengers per month, Ryanair is now the second largest airline at Porto. Last year, easyJet was the largest airline at Faro airport. The orange company is also in the second place at Funchal airport, in Madeira Inslands, with its routes to England and Lisbon. Ryanair, Monarch, Transavia and other are also well implanted at Faro. Lisbon needs a real low cost terminal. They will propably transform Terminal 2 in a dedicated low cost terminal soon. Moreover, Lisbon airport has expensive taxes which explain why low cost carriers are less implanted.

Time will tell what low cost airlines will bring to Portugal. For now, I noticed three main demands: More routes (especially to Azores Island), and cheap fares. A large number of web users also would like Ryanair to operate out of Lisbon.